


redial my thoughts

by asterophile



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, As in barely noticeable i promise, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy 1517 everyone!, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Some SVT members mentioned - Freeform, Uncles!Soonwoo, wonseul siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-07 23:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19859896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asterophile/pseuds/asterophile
Summary: Soonyoung's supposedly peaceful college life takes a 360-degree turn when he becomes the target of a kid's ingenious prank.Maybe it wasn't meant to be peaceful after all—definitely not after meeting his prankster's charming uncle.





	redial my thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i'm here with my second snwu fic and to be honest, i wasn't even sure how i managed to squeeze out 11k-worth of jumbled words and messy plot (if there even is a plot) out of my measly brain. but it's here and i hope it still brings a smile to your face no matter how cheesy and cliched this story of mine is.
> 
> a big shout out to [Cat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/historiologies) for not only being the sweetest beta and for making this readable, but also for organizing this fun fic fest. you've done so much and i hope you know how awesome you are for this (thanks ate!)
> 
> and to my artist [elle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soonies) thank you for breathing color to this block of text with your aesthetic video. i can't imagine anything more fitting as the one you made, and know that until now i still cry over it :'))
> 
> welp, enjoy reading!! do play the vid at the near end for maximum feels. the lyrics hold a beautiful message, too ^^

A shrill, ringing sound makes Soonyoung jump out of his own skin, and all the butterflies in his stomach seem to flutter wildly at the noise. It’s a familiar sound, too familiar for his liking at the moment, and it makes his stomach churn with both anticipation and dread. Well, in his current situation, he’s more likely feeling the latter.

_Fuck, he’s calling? Right now?_

He stares at the innocent ringing device with wide eyes and tries to rack his brain for a reasonable excuse, for any possible way to stall this conversation for another day or so. Because he’s not ready, contrary to what he thought earlier this afternoon, and that this is a really _really_ bad idea, just like how he convinced himself a few weeks back.

 _Shit! He’s mad. He’s definitely mad. I’d be mad at me, too,_ he panics as he paces back and forth across the living room.

But the memory of how his supposedly boring shift at work turned into an unexpected eye-opener nags at him to just answer the _goddamn_ phone. He found out a seemingly trivial fact, one he so stupidly missed, and it washed his worries away. Well, most of his worries anyway. He still doesn’t know how to face the guy properly and explain the shit he’s been doing. Still, he owes Wonwoo an explanation, one that’s long overdue, and an apology, even though he’s not entirely sure he’ll be forgiven.

The ringing doesn’t stop. In fact, it only seems to get louder, more persistent, just like the person on the other line. With a sigh, he reaches out for the phone handle. _It’s now or never,_ he says. He picks it up and places it close to his ear, and for a moment he thinks it’s not the static he hears from the line but his own heart that’s thrumming loudly against his chest.

A pause. Before he finally breathes, “Hello?”

(A few months back)

“Don’t forget to close the window above the sink before you sleep, okay? Mosquitoes are extremely feisty these days.”

Soonyoung idly hums in response as he picks up a worn-down navy blue luggage that’s sitting on the wooden floor.

“Oh, and I left some kimchi stew in the fridge if you’re too lazy to buy dinner, sweetheart.”

He playfully rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue, “I get it Mom, you already told me that five minutes ago.”

His mom approaches him and pinches his cheeks, “Just making sure, honey. You do tend to be forgetful when left on your own, you know?”

“Okay! Geez, I promise I can take care of myself. You don’t have to worry too much. It’s just college” he tries to reassure her.

The thing is, in a few days Soonyoung will officially start a new chapter in his life, one that he’s not too sure will all be smooth sailing. Scratch that, he’s confident that it will be anything but _that._ Still, the excitement outweighs the uneasiness, and he’s brimming with pride at the prospect of finally being a university student.

His parents, lovely but conservative to a fault, after going through a lot of convincing (read: whining) from Soonyoung, finally agreed to let him live by himself, without all the parental supervision his mom has provided by living with him throughout his highschool days in the city.

 _“I’m an adult! I can handle this, I swear.”_ He argues one night with his mom and dad. “ _Besides, I don’t want to stress you any further, Mom. Those wrinkles aren’t going to disappear with just noona’s overpriced face masks.”_ He receives a whack on the head, but apparently that seals the deal _,_ and now he’s an independent college dude with an entire apartment unit to himself.

“That’s exactly why I’m worried!” his mom teases but pats his cheeks lovingly. “Promise to call home every week, okay?” Soonyoung scrunches his nose and contemplates for a moment.

“About that, can’t we just cut the phone line?” he asks as he hauls the bag over his shoulder. “I mean, if you think about it Mom, telephones are practically already primitive.”

As they exit the apartment, he looks at the old, worn-out device placed neatly on a rack near the entrance. It’s not like he has anything against using landlines for communication. It just seemed more practical at the moment, saves up a little bit too, now that his mom won’t be hogging the line gossiping about the latest drama episodes with whoever is interested in her small group of friends. “I’ll just get you a new phone so you can still talk my ear off.”

She shakes her head disapprovingly, “Too troublesome. Besides, those little devices you’re using, what do you call them? Smart—whatever, they’re too complicated for me. I’d have a headache trying to learn those.”

A laugh bubbles from Soonyoung’s throat. Well at least now he knows why he’s constantly struggling with technology. Apparently, it’s in the Kwon’s blood. And with that, he bids his mom goodbye with a tight hug, a silent _thank you and I’ll miss you even if you keep nagging at me 24/7._

“Don’t forget about the stew” she yells as she boards the cab.

“I won’t,” he waves at her, and his mom mimics a phone with her pinky and thumb and mouths _call me_ through the cab’s window.

“Alright, alright! Just go already” he chuckles and the car speeds away, eventually disappearing from his sight.

College has been an _experience_ , to say the least, with first times and new discoveries, a hodgepodge of emotions and adventure. Albeit initially fumbling through the first few weeks, Soonyoung thinks he’s fairly gotten the hang of this venture into semi-adulthood.

He gets to class on time, even without his mom dragging him to get out of bed. Project deadlines are met, although barely, and his grades are decent, too. Though he’s only in his first year, and pressure from major subjects is yet to be his problem, it’s been a breeze so far.

That is, until halfway through the first semester, and Soonyoung finds himself wanting to tear his hair out. And it’s not out of stress from school. 

He shows his extreme exasperation by head banging, forehead first, right on the cafeteria table one fine afternoon. Jihoon, ever the thoughtful friend that he is, completely ignores him and continues to type away on his laptop. Soonyoung sighs dramatically, trying again to catch the attention of the former.

“What’s wrong with him?” Junhui asks as he joins their small table with a tray of fries and a milkshake, finally giving Soonyoung the chance to air out his concern. He opens his mouth to begin his rant but Jihoon beats him to it.

“He’s still getting those prank calls” he says, and it comes out so matter-of-factly that it makes Soonyoung’s whole predicament sound so trivial, so insignificant. And Soonyoung would argue it is anything but those.

“Oh. Okay” Junhui supplies helpfully through a mouthful of fries.

“Guys! I’m facing a really important, not to mention totally annoying crisis here. Can’t you at least pretend to be more interested?” The pair just looks at him with dead eyes.

He dejectedly slumps in his seat and thinks back to when it all started. It was a very ordinary, very uneventful day after his part time job at the convenience store. He was toeing off his shoes by the entrance when the telephone rang.

 _Huh? Must be mom,_ he thought as he made a beeline for the phone.

_Hello? Soonyoung speaking._

Nothing. No sound. Just plain static. Then the line was abruptly cut off.

He eyed the phone incredulously, but shrugged it off as a random caller’s mistake. _Wrong number, maybe?_

But after walking just a few steps away, it rang again, and Soonyoung innocently greeted with the same enthusiasm from earlier, but was met with static silence for the second time.

And it went on for the whole night, every thirty minutes or so. Soonyoung would be lying if he said it didn’t drive him crazy. He had an essay due tomorrow and no writing will ever be done with all this noise.

One incident turned into two, then another, and another, and before he knew it, he’s been getting these calls for the past week, every single _fucking_ night. The silence he usually received turned into fits of giggling, then into a kid’s voice blabbering nonsensical words, clearly to mock him. It sounds straight up from those horror films he binge-watched with Junhui and Jihoon during their summer break, and he would have been horrified if he wasn’t so damn irritated at the moment.

One night, he decided to just plug in his headphones and ignore the barrage of calls. Problem solved, right? _Wrong_. Because the next morning, his mom had complained about him not picking up her calls. _I thought you were dead, sweetheart,_ she said _._ Soonyoung wished he was.

It’s the 21st century, and he thinks being the target of an obnoxious kid’s ingenious plan of prank calling is simply comical. Such is his life, and he grimaces just thinking about it.

“Just cut the line if it’s bothering you too much” Jihoon says.

“Can’t. Mom’s bad at tech. Doesn’t know how to use a smartphone.”

“Does she know you’re being uh—bullied?” Junhui says after downing his last bit of milkshake.

“Bullied is such a strong word. But yes, I told her and she just brushed me off! She thinks the kid will probably get tired of it soon.” Soonyoung sighs and digs his palms into his eyes. He’s tired. “Why me though? And where did he even get our number?” A sudden thought crosses his mind and he looks at his two friends suspiciously, “I swear if it’s one of you dickheads—”

“Nope. No telephone to begin with, sorry,” Junhui hastily defends himself.

Jihoon just scoffs, “I’d say the kid’s doing a _terrific_ job at annoying you, and you’d probably think I paid him to do it. But sadly I’m broke so—”

“He probably got it from one of those flyers for your tutoring gig,” Junhui says.

 _Oh_. Soonyoung can’t argue with that. Out of sheer boredom and his mom pestering him to do something, _anything_ productive during winter break, he decided to offer math tutoring services. Well it was mostly his mom’s doing. They even distributed flyers for it, complete with his mobile number and landline to make it a hundred percent believable.

Turns out not a single soul needed the extra tutoring, no matter how cheap the offer was. Soonyoung’s not too disheartened by it, secretly glad of escaping extra work during his break, but never would it have crossed his mind that it’d come back biting his ass now.

“Whatever. I still don’t know how to make it stop” he dramatically drapes across the table. “Worse comes to worst, I might have to report this to the police.”

He receives a loud snort from Jihoon, “Then what? Tell them to arrest an underage kid for pulling on a joke?”

“Why don’t you just talk to the kid? _Nicely,_ ” Junhui sternly adds when Soonyoung opens his mouth to protest. “Ask him why he’s doing all this shit. Minus the cuss word, of course. And just tell him to quit it.”

Now that he thinks about it, Soonyoung _never_ tried the peaceful approach. He’d always slam the phone down when he realizes it’s his relentless prankster on the other end, petty down to a tee, completely unwilling to be one-upped by a kid.

But he’s willing to step down a bit and swallow his pride if it means finally having some peace of mind. It’s a relatively small price to pay. He grunts, “This is either going to miraculously work or terribly backfire.”

Junhui just grins at him, “You’re welcome.”

That night, Soonyoung actually anticipates the calls, long quiz on Sociology be damned. He waits and waits for what feels like hours. Turns out his efforts weren’t in vain as the phone rings right on schedule and he lunges at it with grabby hands. “Hello, this is Soonyoung,” he tries to sound light and casual.

“Yashowohskzddfgadsfd—” a few giggles and more incoherent blabbering from the caller and Soonyoung fights the urge to slam the phone down. _Breathe_ , he tells himself.

“Hey there little guy! Or uh—girl,” he chirps loudly, “I uh, this may sound sudden, but can you hear me out?” He internally cringes at how pitchy his voice sounds. _Man, I sound like a creep._

There’s no response from the other line, but Soonyoung is anything but a quitter. “Listen, I want to be friends with you! Is that okay? What’s your name?”

After a beat or two, he finally manages to wheedle out a reply. “Mom says not to give my name to strangers” says a little boy begrudgingly.

“Well, I’m not a stranger. You’ve been calling me for the past few days!” he reasons out. “I’m Soonyoung by the way, but I guess you already know that.” He’s no expert in child psychology, or handling children whatsoever, but maybe giving out his name will earn the kid’s trust.

“Soonyoung?” A pause. “That’s an _ugly_ name.”

And with that Soonyoung hears something snap loudly inside his brain. It’s probably his already thin patience, the last straw holding his sanity together breaking then and there. _That. Is. It!_

“Listen, _buddy_. I’ve been extremely patient with you even though you’ve been nothing but a _brat_ ,” he hisses. “And I can take the prank, but you _do not_ make fun of my name. My mother would be insulted!” 

He hears shuffling from the other line. “Hello? Are you even listening—”

 _Yejun-ah, time for—hey I thought I told you not to—,_ an unfamiliar voice cuts his tirade short and he hears a gasp, a few scurried noises, before the line finally went dead. Soonyoung looks at the receiver dumbfounded.

_What the actual fuck?_

Still simmering in irritation _,_ he stupidly waits but doesn’t receive any more calls that night. At least he finally got the kid’s name. Yejun, he repeats to himself. Though he has no idea what to do with that fact, it’s still better than nothing, right?

_And who was that with him? His father? Brother?_

Soonyoung doesn’t want to admit it but he’s strangely bothered by this turn of events. Maybe it’s because he didn’t get to finish reprimanding the kid. _Yeah, that’s totally it,_ he convinces himself. After a lot of useless hovering around the telephone, he decides to just call it a day, the stress from all of this finally creeping up on him. He didn’t even get to study properly, and a promising headache will surely await him tomorrow as he tries to speed-read through his Sociology textbook.

But before he falls asleep, his thoughts keep replaying a voice he’d heard of only today, somewhat unnerved by it.

And strangely, sleep doesn’t come easy that night.

The following days are nothing short of a nightmare to Soonyoung, and he feels his body barely holding up from the stress that is midterms. Surprise quizzes, paper deadlines, group projects, you name it, he’s been juggling all of these along with his part time job, afterschool club activities, and having to do all the chores alone. Maybe it was suicide joining three clubs at once, no matter how laidback the origami club looked like.

 _So much for being an adult_ , he sighs dejectedly after another gruesome day at school. He then basically drags his body to the couch before he ends up collapsing on the cold floor. The last thing he wants is to get sick, although that sounds a little too tempting for now.

He crashes face first into his sofa pillow, the softness of it making his body sag and lulling his senses to sleep. But before he drifts off and lets dreams consume him, the telephone rings, and Soonyoung’s eyes fly open.

 _Of course_ , he thinks bitterly, _it has to be now of all times!_

He’s slightly sure it’s not his mom, only because he specifically told her that he’d be busy with midterms and won’t be calling often.

So who else could it be?

To be fair, it’s been four days since he last received a call from what he assumes is his little prankster. Not that he’s been counting, really. He’s got his hands tied with schoolwork that he actually forgot that the kid eventually stopped calling.

Well, stopped until now, that is. He trudges to the phone because he knows this will _never_ end until he answers. “Hello?” he greets sullenly.

“Uhm—Uncle Soonyoung?”

His eyebrows knit in confusion. _Uncle Soonyounng? Well_ that’s _new._

“Uh yeah, this is uh... Is this Yejun?”

“Yes…” There’s a really long pause like it’s taking a lot of the kid to say what he’s about to.

“I’m really sorry Uncle Soonyoung…for causing you trouble,” Yejun’s voice sounds so remorseful right now that something inside Soonyoung twists a little. He thinks he even hears him sniffling. “I promise not to bother you anymore.”

_I promise not to bother…I promise…_

His eyebrows shoot up and his mouth hangs open in disbelief as what he heard finally sinks in . _What? Did Junhui’s plan actually work?_ Well, considering he didn’t really pull through it, but whatever. Soonyoung marvels at this unexpected turn of events. At last, no more irritatingly loud ringing, no more dread answering calls. Finally, he can get some well-deserved peace around here.

“Uncle? Are you there? I’m _really_ sorry.”

 _Huh_. There it is again, that twinge in his chest, like he kicked a really innocent puppy and is feeling the gut-crushing guilt of it.

“Hey, hey—it’s okay.”

_What?_

“You can uh—call anytime.”

_Stop talking shit Soonyoung!_

“I don’t mind at all.”

_Ugh._

Apparently, his brain to mouth filter decided to malfunction now of all times, and he wonders where his common sense flew off. In the distance, he hears Jihoon snickering at him.

“Really!” Yejun shouts excitedly, his initial spunk back. At least Soonyoung got rid of that gnawing feeling in his chest.

“Yeah” he sighs but has a small smile on his face. “But please, let’s not make it every day, okay?”

“Understood. Do you like dinosaurs, Uncle?” The random question throws Soonyoung off but he decides to humor the kid. What’s there to lose anyway?

“Well I think they’re cool, like Godzilla-cool, but I’m a hundred percent glad they’re not roaming our planet anymore.”

“I think they’re cool, too! My classmates think I’m a nerd for liking them. Even Uncle Wonwoo said they’re not good as pets.”

“Uncle Wonwoo?”

“Yes, he’s my uncle like Uncle Soonyoung. He’s weird though. He said I should say sorry to you but also told me not to call again. How am I supposed to do that if I don’t call you?”

Soonyoung laughs at that. The kid’s blabbering to him already like they’ve been friends forever and not just a few minutes ago. Somehow he finds his mood lighten up a bit from talking to Yejun.

“Well, listen to your Uncle, Yejun-ah. Where is he anyway?”

“Oh. He’s in his room studying. He’ll come out when it’s dinner time.”

 _Hmm, so this Wonwoo guy is also a student?_ Soonyoung’s curiosity is definitely piqued.

“Do you want to talk to him, too?”

His eyes suddenly bulge at the suggestion. “Wha—wait no, that’s not—”

“Uncle Wonwoo!” he hears the kid shout, followed by the sound of a door being opened.

_Yejun-ah I told you no shout—what are you—I thought we talked about not bothering the poor guy anymore!_

“He wants to talk to you, Uncle,” he hears the kid whisper. And before Soonyoung’s got the chance to hang up, a deep voice greets him. “Uhm, hello?”

He feels his skin erupt into goosebumps at the sound. “H-Hello.”

“Hey, Soonyoung right? Listen, I don’t really know what to say except that I’m _extremely_ sorry. My nephew can be a handful sometimes but I promise you he won’t be doing this again,” Wonwoo says apologetically.

“But Uncle Soonyoung says I can call him anytime!” Yejun whines loudly.

“You did?” he asks warily.

Soonyoung feels his face heat up a bit. “Well, yeah... I mean I was stressed by it at first. But I guess I’m cool with it now,” he admits sheepishly. “Your nephew kind of cheered me up a bit today, too.”

“Oh did he? Was something bothering you?” the sudden query makes Soonyoung’s stomach flip. The rich baritone is not helping either.

“Just a little burned out at school, I got a D on my Literature paper this morning which I worked extremely hard on, so yeah.”

“Literature? Are you a Lit major, too?” says Wonwoo.

“No, Math major here. I just took on the subject as an elective,” he replies and Soonyoung feels uneasy by how _casual_ they sound right now.

“I see. Well I can imagine how stressed you must be as a Math major,” Wonwoo muses, a hint of mischief in his tone, “considering you must have a lot of _problems to solve_.”

Soonyoung blinks, at a loss for words at the poorly-delivered pun. He was not expecting that, especially from a guy with such a low-toned voice.

“I’m sorry! That was really bad. Forget I said that. I’m sorry,” the other guy sputters rapidly. “H-Hello? Soonyoung?”

And with that, Soonyoung can’t help the laugh that escapes his lips, loud and boisterous and unbidden. He hasn’t felt this giddy in a long time. Compared to earlier, he’s definitely in a better mood now.

“Alright, I’m flattered you found my joke funny, but please stop laughing already. That wasn’t even my best!” Wonwoo teases after a minute or so of Soonyoung wheezing into the receiver.

“That was just—so unexpected dude, like who even jokes like that nowadays.” _Especially when they’ve just met_ , he wants to add but decides against it.

“Wait till you hear the rest of my puns. You’ll be rolling on the floor before I even get to the half of it.”

“Yeah?” Soonyoung chuckles and he’s grinning like an idiot by now. “I’d like to hear them please, no matter how bad they are.”

“Uncle, I’m hungry! I want to eat fried mandu,” he hears Yejun whine beside Wonwoo.

“Uh, okay Yejun-ah, wait just a bit. Sorry, the jokes have to wait,” he tells Soonyoung, “I have to feed my little duckling.”

“No problem. I’m about to start on dinner too anyway.”

“Good luck with that. It was nice talking to you Soonyoung, really.” Wonwoo says and Soonyoung’s stomach is doing those flips again.

“Yeah. It was nice talking to you, too, Wonwoo,” he smiles to himself, “Goodbye.”

“So let me get this straight,” Junhui starts as soon as Soonyoung puts down their order of bubble tea. “You took my advice and talked to the kid. But instead of calling it quits and finally breaking off all contact, you actually gave him the green light to _bother_ you?” he asks carefully, like he’s not entirely sure of what he’s saying.

Soonyoung rolls his eyes, “He’s not bothering me anymore. We’re friends now.” Beside him, Jihoon can’t help but snort loudly.

Junhui raises an eyebrow at him, “Okay, but not only that, you’re _also_ talking to his uncle…”

“Wonwoo,” Soonyoung interrupts.

“Right, so you’re also talking to this Wonwoo guy, who you said is a student like us, and is, I quote, _super nice and easy to talk to.”_

“Did I mention he has a really smooth voice, like the ones you hear over the radio?”

“Yes, you already mentioned that, Soonyoung. _A lot_ ,” Jihoon deadpans and the former reacts by shooting a tapioca pearl straight to the other’s face.

While looking at his disgruntled friend, Soonyoung is reminded of how equally vexed he was before by his daily dose of prank calls. Oh how the tables have turned on him now.

Never would he have thought that he’d be glad to own an old, worn-out telephone, when just a few weeks ago he was shooting daggers at the innocent device, hoping it would vaporize on the spot whenever it rang.

But now, what started as casual small talk evolved into long conversations about anything and everything.

It’s become a weird arrangement between him and Wonwoo, he mulled over one night as he stretched from the wooden floor of his apartment, butt completely sore from sitting too long on a plane hard surface, after talking on the phone with Wonwoo for what felt like an hour or two.

Yejun kept his promise of calling Soonyoung every now and then, and the latter indulged him easily, silently enjoying the distraction when the kid animatedly talked about dinosaurs, and whales and elephants, and anything new he learned from school. Wonwoo would then scold his nephew for taking up Soonyoung’s time, apologizing profusely like the responsible guardian he pretends to be, but then proceeds to crack one of his stupid, lame ass jokes.

He learns from Wonwoo that his four-year old friend, whose mom (Wonwoo’s sister) is often away for a job, doesn’t quite _fit in_ with the rest of the kids in his school, not with such a curious mind and an unrestricted imagination. His uncle tries to reassure him that that’s completely fine, and Soonyoung tries to do the same whenever he talks with Yejun.

Other nights it’s Soonyoung who dials Wonwoo’s number with the excuse that he forgot to tell him about this _really good_ Netflix series that he should totally check out. Sometimes, Wonwoo would recommend books he thinks Soonyoung would fancy, or games that he thinks aren’t _too complicated_ for him.

_Hey! You have no right to insult my gaming expertise, Jeon._

_Yeah, yeah, tell me that when you’ve passed the tutorial level, Kwon._

It should be alarming for Soonyoung how comfortable he’s gotten with his so-called _phone pal_ and in such a short span, too. It’s insane to feel this way for a complete stranger, but he supposes there are exceptions to the rule, Wonwoo being one of them. He just hopes his sentiments are mirrored, too.

“Earth to Soonyoung?” Junhui waves frantically in front of his face to get his attention back. Soonyoung just bats him away.

“It’s good to widen your circle of friends, but have you at least checked online what this Wonwoo guy looks like? He could be a drug dealer or a serial killer hiding under the pretense of a sweet, child-loving uncle!”

“I’m pretty sure no one indicates that they’re a murderer in their bio, Junhui,” Soonyoung counters. “Besides, Wonwoo is none of those things. I’ll bet my entire savings on it.”

“Well I guess there’s not much on the line,” Jihoon comments and Soonyoung’s contemplating on what to throw next at his friend. To be honest, there were a lot of times he _almost_ searched up Wonwoo but decided against it. It just felt wrong, and his gut feeling tells him Wonwoo wouldn’t do the same either.

“My advice is you should be careful of the people you trust. You can be pretty naïve sometimes,” the oldest of the trio stresses. “Jihoon-ah, back me up on this.”

Jihoon just sips his bubble tea haughtily, an eyebrow raised, all the while patting Soonyoung on the back. “Oh don’t worry Soonyoung, when shit finally happens and all of this crumbles, I’ll be here, _watching_.”

Contrary to his friend’s ominous prediction though, nothing really crumbles. But Soonyoung’s world does get shaken up a bit by an unexpected request from his frequent caller.

“What’s up?” Soonyoung chirps one Tuesday evening when he’s greeted by a familiar voice. He was in the middle of finishing his algebra homework, extremely close to frying his brain trying to solve all these x’s and y’s. The sudden distraction is much needed.

“Remember that scholarship I told you about a few weeks ago?” Wonwoo asks, his tone giddy and full of excitement.

“Yeah, you told me you applied to three universities, mine included, what about—” then his eyes widen in understanding and a surge of happiness takes over. “Oh my god, Wonwoo! Are you—Did you—“

Wonwoo laughs, deep and warm, and hums in assent, “Yeah, I got into two, but guess what? I chose your uni since they offer a better program.”

 _Oh my god_ , w _e’ll be schoolmates._ Soonyoung’s already exhausted brain completely paralyzes for a while. “I’m so proud of you, really” he says after a beat, a genuine smile dancing on his face, “Then I guess I’ll be seeing you around next semester?”

“About that, can I ask you a favor, Soonyoung?” Wonwoo says, sounding a bit unsure.

“Shoot.”

“Can you uh...can you show me around campus? I thought I’d ask you now since finals aren’t here yet and we still have some free time. And I know it’s still a few months till my transfer, and I can totally check it out during summer break, but I don’t know anyone who goes there but you. And you might not be here during the break, so…” Wonwoo blurts out everything in a single breath and Soonyoung chuckles at his friend’s unnecessarily long speech.

He’d say yes in a heartbeat anyway, even without all those reasons.

“Wonwoo, I’d be glad to show you around,” he replies, amused and nervous at the same time.

“Great! I, uh—does Friday sound good to you?” 

“It’s perfect. My last class ends at four. I can meet you at the entrance gate if you want?”

“Oh! I hope you don’t mind if I bring Yejun with me. I’ll have to pick him up at his school after my classes.”

“Even better, I’ll finally get to meet the little rascal myself,” he teases. There’s a quiet pause between them, like both parties are trying to get around the fact that they’re finally _finally_ meeting each other.

“So…Friday?” Wonwoo breaks the silence.

“Yeah,” Soonyoung hums, “Friday.”

_3, 2, 1…_

“Alright, class dismissed! Don’t forget to turn in your book report on Hamlet by Monday,” Mrs. Kang reminds her last batch of students for the day.

Soonyoung, being the diligent student that he is, practically flies out of the room as soon as his professor turned her back against them. It’s Friday, and the promise of a relaxing, lazy weekend is before him. He can finally start that new drama series he’s been putting off for a while.

More than that though, _it’s Friday_ , meaning it’s the day he and Wonwoo finally meet. _In person_.

To say he’s nervous is an understatement, he’s about to shit his pants from all the tension he’s feeling. Just the other night, he whined endlessly to a rather aggravated Jihoon.

_I don’t get why you’re so worked up about this. Since when did you care about leaving a good first impression anyway?_

_Since now? What if he thinks I’m weird, Jihoon? Or what if he finds out I like Lightning McQueen and drops me right then and there? What if—_

His train of thought is interrupted when he realizes he’s already near the entrance, their meet-up place. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tries his best to scan the area for a guy who’s about the same age as him, and is presumably with a kid, the only clues he holds as to what his friend might look like.

And lo and behold, standing beside the gatepost is a bespectacled guy, clad in a denim-colored polo over a white plain shirt, his right hand tucked in his front pocket, while the other is holding that of a preschooler’s.

_Oh shit._

Denim guy’s eyes are also wandering aimlessly, seemingly looking for someone. But then they stop, catch on a pair of eyes staring directly, and their gazes lock on like magnets, either one unable to pull away.

_Oh shit shit!_

Soonyoung thinks if they were in those cheesy web dramas, this would be the part where cherry blossoms would be dancing around, floating magically around them, as the protagonist makes his way towards him. Except this isn’t a drama and he’s sweating unattractively despite a breezy afternoon.

“Hi! Soonyoung, right?” Denim guy greets and _Oh my god, his voice sounds even deeper in person!_

“I—you know what I look like?” he sputters, and notes how handsome the guy looks even with such a simple getup.

“Well, not really. I just assumed you were Soonyoung since uh, you were staring,” he scratches the back of his neck nervously. “Unless you’re not my Soonyoung, I mean the Soonyoung _I know_ , and I got the wrong one, and I—oh what the hell is so funny, huh?”

Soonyoung can’t help bursting into laughter at his friend’s monologue. At least he knows he’s not the only one feeling anxious about this.

And what’s there to be worried about in the first place? In just a few seconds of their alleged first meeting, the familiar warmth and comfort Soonyoung feels whenever he talks with Wonwoo consumes him, overwhelms his senses that he can’t help but smile widely at the boy in front of him.

_He’s definitely Wonwoo._

“No, you’re right, I’m Soonyoung,” he extends his hand for the other to take, “Kwon Soonyoung, Math genius.”

The other just squeezes his hand with a chuckle, “Jeon Wonwoo, future Lit scholar.”

“Now _that_ just makes my intro sound fake,” he teases, and it’s just now that he takes notice of the little boy hiding behind Wonwoo.

“Oh! Then who might this little duckling be?” Soonyoung crouches down so he’s on the same level with the boy. He’s in his school uniform, a collared white shirt paired with bright red shorts. He’s sporting glasses, too, same as his uncle.

“Come on, say hi to Uncle Soonyoung,” Wonwoo coaxes, but the kid just shies away even more.

“Say, remember the time you told me about whales? How they’re big but friendly creatures?” Soonyoung asks a timid Yejun.

“Well, when I was your age, I dreamt of being chased by a giant whale!” he makes exaggerated hand gestures to prove his point. “I was so _so_ scared. But it turns out the whale just wanted to be friends,” he smiles sweetly at the boy. “What do you say, Yejun-ah, want to be my friend, too? Officially?” this time he holds out his right pinky.

“Does that mean I’m the whale?” the boy asks meekly, looking at Soonyoung’s eyes then at his outstretched finger.

“You can be _anything_ you want,” he says softly, and the kid finally smiles brightly, giggling as he and Soonyoung seal their friendship with a pinky promise. He dotes on Yejun some more, missing the way Wonwoo stares at them affectionately.

“Alright then,” Soonyoung straightens up from his position, “Welcome to Innae University! Again I’m Kwon Soonyoung and I’ll be your tour guide for today,” he finishes with a theatrical bow and is rewarded with Yejun’s enthusiastic clapping and Wonwoo’s melodic laugh. The latter one is easily becoming his favorite sound.

“Shall we head to the Humanities Department then?” he gestures for his guests to follow. Wonwoo only shakes his head in amusement.

“Lead the way.”

“What’ll it be today, Soonyoung? The regular I presume?”

“Oh, hey Josh! Uhm, actually can you add one more? And make it a medium, please,” Soonyoung beams at Joshua, the bright-eyed cashier of the bubble tea place he and his friends frequent in.

“Oh? Got a new one in the group?” Joshua raises an eyebrow at him, “I haven’t seen you three with a new friend for a long time. Not even in highschool.”

Soonyoung’s gaze shifts to their table, where Junhui is absentmindedly flipping through his phone while Jihoon and Wonwoo are on the edge of their seats, probably having another heated discussion about Overwatch.

And a warm feeling fills his chest at the sight, “Yeah, I think you’ll be seeing Wonwoo around for a while.” Joshua just mirrors his smile.

The thing is, it shouldn’t come off as a surprise to anyone that ever since that fateful Friday afternoon, Wonwoo permanently integrated his presence into Soonyoung’s life.

Not only did he fit in perfectly with his close knit of friends, the two practically hung out with each other every chance they got. Whether it was an impromptu study session, or a weekend Marvel marathon, they somehow _always_ made time for each other, even when they hailed from different schools.

One time, while Soonyoung was busy restocking the shelves at the convenience store, Wonwoo came barging in, his favorite book in tow, saying he couldn’t concentrate on his reading and needed a change of environment. They ended up just talking for his whole shift, book forgotten on the side table. Minghao, Soonyoung’s usually aloof coworker, practically kicked them out for being too loud.

Just the other night, Soonyoung found himself cooking for Yejun and his stubborn uncle, who kept pestering him about that _delicious_ _kimchi fried rice you’ve been bragging about._ It turns out Wonwoo just wanted a free pass on cooking that night, and Soonyoung was too eager to prove his skills in the kitchen. Two burnt attempts and a grumbling kid later, they both decided to just order takeout.

“You’ve been to his house?” Junhui asks Soonyoung incredulously as they head home, the group of four separating after their Wednesday bubble tea ritual.

“Well yeah.” _More than once actually_. “He tricked me into cooking for him and his nephew. That little devil.”

“But you can’t cook.”

“Exactly.”

Judging by his friend’s disgusted face, Soonyoung assumes he doesn’t want to dive into the details.

“What’s wrong with that anyway? Wonwoo’s been over to my apartment, too.” Soonyoung thinks of that one time Yejun called unsuspectingly, only for his uncle to answer instead of Soonyoung. Wonwoo howled in laughter, definitely having too much fun teasing his nephew, who threw quite a fit about it.

 _I want to talk to Uncle Soonie!_ He heard the kid demand over the phone as Wonwoo talked to Chan instead, their neighbor-slash-occasional babysitter, who’s trying his best to pacify the peevish preschooler.

“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong at all,” Junhui‘s sporting that shit-eating grin on his face, like he means more than he says. “I just think it’s cute how oblivious you are”. Soonyoung just shoots him a look, but before he could ask what he means, the other boy scrambles away.

“Oh look my bus is here!”

Soonyoung doesn’t want to think too much about what Junhui said. He has other problems to worry about anyway. Finals are fast approaching, and with it came another truckload of requirements and deadlines.

He’s on the couch trying to finish a powerpoint presentation for his literature class when a familiar ringing breaks the silence of the room. He looks at his wall clock before trudging his way to the phone, noting how late it is into the night.

“Are you hungry?” Wonwoo hastily asks, and Soonyoung silently muses how they somehow always fall back to _this_ —calling each other through the telephone; so old-fashioned yet it’s their thing now, even when they already had each other’s numbers.

“Hello to you, too, and not really, I just finished dinner a while back.”

“Well _I am_ but our fridge is empty,” Wonwoo whines and Soonyoung can already imagine the pout on his face. “Come eat with me outside please.”

“Won, it’s already past eleven…”

“It’ll be quick, I promise!” Soonyoung’s contemplating whether he’ll give in to his friend’s request or just continue on that presentation he’s working on. It’s due tomorrow, too. “My treat.” Wonwoo adds when he doesn’t answer for a few seconds.

Soonyoung sighs, defeated, “Where to?”

Fifteen minutes later, Soonyoung and Wonwoo exit the convenience store with a plastic full of food. They spot a few empty swings near the entrance of the playground from across the street and decide to have their little picnic there.

“So you dragged me all the way here, in the middle of the night, just to eat junk food?” Soonyoung says as he opens a bag of cheese-flavored chips.

“Whatever. It’s not _my fault_ you let yourself be dragged.” Wonwoo quips back while munching on two almond pepero sticks at the same time.

“You lured me in with free food! Who would say no to that?” he tries his best to sound offended, but by Wonwoo’s cheeky smile, it looks like he’s not buying it at all.

If he’s being honest with himself, even without the bribe of food, he could _never_ say no to Wonwoo. It’s a terrifying thought, one he had come to realize while brisk-walking to the convenience store, with only a thin cotton shirt and sweatpants on, at eleven thirty in the evening, when he could have been in the comfort of his own home.

His friends have noticed and teased him endlessly about this, saying he spoils Wonwoo way too much. He shrugs it off and blames it on Wonwoo’s innate ability to charm his way through things, even when he feels an overwhelming sense of satisfaction whenever he sees Wonwoo smile over something as simple as giving him vegetable crackers.

If he’s being _more_ honest with himself, he’d admit that he’s been having this strange, gnawing feeling in his stomach whenever Wonwoo so much as looked at him. It was always there, a dull ache, although barely noticeable before. He felt it the first time he heard his voice, and when they first met at the school entrance. He’s feeling it now, when he stares at his friend messily shoving chips down his throat, and he looks away just as quickly, tries to tamper down that feeling. 

“Hey Soonyoung? Soon-ah?” he snaps his head back and Wonwoo shoves a packet of m&m’s into his face. “Want to play a game?” he smiles mischievously, a sly glint in his eyes.

“What is it now? You said we’d be quick.”

Wonwoo ignores his friend’s protest and proceeds to tear a tiny hole in the packet. “It’s easy. If you can guess what color of m&m’s will come out then you get to ask me a question I should answer truthfully, and vice versa.”

Soonyoung gulps upon hearing the rules of their little game. He doesn’t really have a lot of secrets, but he’s not exactly good at lying when the situation calls for it. And he’s afraid of what his stupid mouth might reveal after this.

But Wonwoo’s looking at him expectantly, and he gives in. _Again_. 

“Ok, uh—pink?” he tries to stall as much as possible.

“ _Soonyoung”_ Wonwoo warns without much heat.

“Fine! I pick blue then.”

“Yellow for me.”

After a few rounds of wrong guesses and the two laughing at how silly they look like right now, Wonwoo finally gets a color right, much to Soonyoung’s slight panic. He clears his throat and looks at Soonyoung straight in the eye, before asking, “What do you want to be in the future?”

Soonyoung lets out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding and raises an eyebrow at him. “That’s it? That’s your million dollar question?”

In response, Wonwoo clicks his tongue at him, “Just answer the damn question.”

He contemplates for a while, thinks of answering seriously because Wonwoo seems genuinely curious. “I, uh, nothing’s really set in stone yet,” he starts, “but with my major, I think being a math teacher would suit me? Perhaps an elementary school teacher? I mean, I’m not that good with kids, but I really don’t want to deal with hormonal teenagers or uptight college students on a daily basis,” he chuckles nervously because he’s not sure what he’s blabbering about. A long pause falls between them, and Soonyoung wonders if he bored Wonwoo with his answer.

“I bet you’d be an _amazing_ teacher, Soonyoung,” his friend whispers. It’s a mistake for Soonyoung to look at him then and there, because Wonwoo’s smiling at him affectionately, his eyes gleaming but staring straight at Soonyoung, unwavering. And that familiar ache hits him again, magnified, _burning_ , making him feel hot all over even against the coolness of the night.

Wonwoo stares at the cloudless sky then. “And what do you mean you’re not good with kids? I swear Yejun likes you more than me now.” Soonyoung is rendered speechless, feeling his throat lock up but is unable to look away from the boy beside him. “I can’t blame my nephew though,” he catches Soonyoung’s gaze again, “you _are_ quite the charmer.”

If Soonyoung was a blushing mess earlier, he’s red as a cherry now. He just hopes the dim lighting in this playground is preserving his last shred of dignity. He clears his throat in a poor attempt to calm his nerves, “Uh, can we uh—move on with the game?” _Please, because I can’t take anymore of this—awkwardness._

“Alright. Then I choose red.” Wonwoo tries to fish out the next chocolate candy from the almost empty packet. 

“Uh—green?”

And the gods must have taken pity on Soonyoung, because a green colored m&m pops out. He racks his brain trying to conjure up an interesting question for Wonwoo, but ultimately blurts out, “Why’d you choose my university over the other one? For the scholarship I mean.”

Wonwoo frowns at him, looking confused, “I already told you, didn’t I? They offer a better scholarship program. Plus it’s nearer and more convenient.”

 _Right_. Soonyoung hums and starts rocking his swing back and forth. He really wasted his chance to ask Wonwoo a good question.

“Besides, I’d get to see you everyday then.”

He stops swinging, his breath stuttering at the same time. Slowly, he looks at his friend, his heart thumping wildly at Wonwoo’s last words. _There it is again_. His friend adamantly stares at his shoes, glasses threatening to fall off, but he has a gentle smile playing on his lips. If Soonyoung were to squint harder, he’s sure the other’s ears were a bit red on the tips, too.

That night, something clicks inside Soonyoung, like a lock finally being opened and spilling out a hundred of repressed emotions he never knew he had, or at least acknowledged until now. His world shifts, and it’s dizzying and it’s all new. At the back of his mind, he could hear Jihoon laughing at him and Junhui mouthing the word _oblivious_.

That night, he thinks that maybe it’s not just fondness he feels for his phone pal-turned-friend. Maybe it’s something more, something precarious but also undeniably true. Maybe he’s a bit in love with the bespectacled boy beside him, all those fluttery feelings finally making sense and no sense at the same time.

And when Wonwoo looks at him and flashes that stupid radiant smile of his, Soonyoung thinks, for the nth time that night,

_Fuck, I’m doomed._

Unlike those clichéd romantic novels, nothing really drastically changes between the two after that night, and Soonyoung is silently thanking the stars for it. He still hangs out with Wonwoo, although barely since they’re both busy with schoolwork, and Wonwoo basically acts the same around Soonyoung. At least that’s what he thinks.

If you dismiss Soonyoung absentmindedly staring at Wonwoo whenever they’re in the same room, his gaze always seemingly gravitating towards the other, and Wonwoo blatantly staring back—then everything’s normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

Except that Soonyoung _wished_ he didn’t think of his friend whenever his thoughts seemed to drift away, which was happening quite a lot recently. Instead of focusing on class and jotting down notes he would never read in the future, he thinks of glasses-rimmed eyes, a chiseled jawline, an adorable nose scrunch and a cute eye wrinkle, and he berates himself for having such a short attention span. What a way to be distracted, though.

He misses him when they’re not together, that funny feeling in his stomach fully blooming into butterflies when he thinks of Wonwoo. And he knows it’s not good to feel too much for a person, but he can’t help it anyway, doesn’t think he can stop completely, so he lets himself fall.

“I-I think I like Wonwoo,” he declares softly, more to himself than to his friend sitting idly across from him on a cafeteria table.

“Yeah? Tell me something I don’t know,” Jihoon says, his face devoid of any of the surprise Soonyoung expected him to show. He’s not even sparing him a look.

“No, I like him _like him,_ ” he whisper-shouts, afraid that someone might overhear his little secret.

“Hey guys! What’d I miss?” Junhui’s cheery but unexpected entrance almost made Soonyoung pee his pants.

“Soonyoung likes Wonwoo,” Jihoon helpfully supplies as he scoots over to make room for their friend.

Junhui just blinks at them innocently, “Again, what’d I miss?”

He gives his Chinese friend a good kick in the shins as Jihoon roars with laughter at his despair. _Am I really that obvious?_

After calming down from his initial outburst, Jihoon says, “So you _finally_ realized you like the guy, congrats! Now go tell him and be sappy and romantic elsewhere so we can finish our lunch in peace.”

“What? Are you crazy? I’m not telling Wonwoo _anything_.” He gives him a pointed look, like what he said is utterly insane and completely out of the question. “That’s suicide!”

“Soonyoung.” His voice is stern, and if Jihoon wasn’t holding a burger in one of his hands, he’d be absolutely intimidated. “You’re an idiot when it comes to most things—”

“Hey—”

“But please don’t be stupid about this, too! I guarantee you Wonwoo’s just as whipped as you are, if not more. Trust me, I see things your oblivious ass doesn’t.”

“Well your squinty eyes could be wrong and I’d be single-handedly ruining our friendship if I tell him how I felt.” Soonyoung doesn’t even want to think about it. He just found a home in Wonwoo and he doesn’t want what they have to crash and burn if things go terribly wrong. “I don’t want to risk it, Jihoon-ah.”

“Listen to Jihoon for once, Soonie,” Junhui’s looking at him with reassuring eyes, but it’s not something he can comprehend at the moment. “He has _less_ squinty eyes than you do.” With a sigh, he mentally notes to look for better friends.

It’s finally finals week, and Soonyoung is basically a ghost of himself trying to just make it through the last days of the semester. That was before this afternoon though, because now he’s happily skipping through the streets, on his way to a café to meet Wonwoo for their planned study date. The two haven’t seen each other for quite some time and Soonyoung’s heart skipped a beat when Wonwoo called to ask for help with his advanced math exam.

He still doesn’t know how to address his feelings, which only increased with each passing day, but he comes to the decision that _maybe_ it shouldn’t be as complicated as he thinks it should be. Maybe he can like Wonwoo _and_ still be his friend. Maybe one day, when the time is right and he’s worked up the courage to finally confess to Wonwoo, he could let it all out without worrying about the possible consequences. For now, he’s satisfied with being able to be with Wonwoo, and he wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.

When he enters the café, he’s greeted by the sweet scent of coffee and baked pastries. He smiles as he spots a familiar mop of raven hair seated at the farthest part of the room. But when he realizes that Wonwoo was in fact _not_ alone, his smile dims.

Across from Wonwoo, who currently has his back against Soonyoung, sits a girl who’s talking quite animatedly with him, her relaxed demeanor giving off the feeling that she’s done this a few times before. If that alone didn’t make Soonyoung’s stomach churn, then the fact that Wonwoo seems to be also engaged in their conversation is sending him into red alert. And she’s _gorgeous_ , too.

Without thinking at all, his flight reaction taking over, Soonyoung finds himself hastily exiting the café, his mind whirling a thousand thoughts per second, and none of them are pleasant. He wanders aimlessly at the streets, his feet having a mind of its own because currently his brain has frozen over. Before he knows it, he’s inside the convenience store he works in and Minghao is giving him a confused look.

“Hyung, what are you doing here? It’s not even your shift.”

“I, uh—I forgot to restock the canned mushrooms yesterday. Uh, I better do it now.”

He retreats to the back of the store, ignoring Minghao calling out to him. “But hyung, we’re out of mushrooms, remember?”

When he’s alone with the empty shelves, he tries hard to compose himself. _Breathe Soonyoung, it’s not like Wonwoo’s not allowed to have dates with girls. What’s wrong with that?_ He nervously bites at his thumb. _But what if she’s his girlfriend? But Wonwoo’s never mentioned one before. Unless he—_

“Hyung, you’re seriously creeping me out,” Minghao pipes up from behind and simultaneously gives him a heart attack.

“I’m fine Hao, I just—” and when he thought he could finally relax a little, his phone buzzes, giving him another jump scare. He winces as he reads the caller ID, stubbornly pockets his phone as he smiles wryly at a still-perplexed Minghao.

“Aren’t you going to get that?” his coworker asks.

“Oh it’s just Jihoon, nothing important,” he lies through his teeth, his phone still buzzing.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you’d be _dead_ if you don’t answer that. Hyung!”

He decides then that maybe the convenience store wasn’t the best place to collect his thoughts and walks past his nosy coworker. Wonwoo calls him a total of five times more as he makes his way home, all attempts going unanswered, and if Soonyoung’s conscience wasn’t bugging him to death, he wouldn’t have sent him a measly text message as a reply.

_< Sorry something came up! I can’t make it today._

_> That’s fine. How about tomorrow?_

_> I hope you’re okay though._

He doesn’t send a reply after, his conscience beating him down for lying to Wonwoo. But he couldn’t care less about that at the moment. All he could think of is the image of Wonwoo smiling fondly at someone else, someone who could possibly have feelings for him too. Someone who isn’t Soonyoung. Someone who could never be Soonyoung.

Despite saying he’d be content with what they are— _just_ _friends_ —it’s still an ugly feeling—hoping for something more, and having it wither before it even sprouted. And in the stillness of his room, the telephone ironically ringing at the front, he hears his heart break a little.

In the blink of an eye, the semester is over and it’s two weeks into summer break. Soonyoung should be celebrating his momentary freedom, having fun with the kids back at his hometown. But instead, against all reason, he decides to work full time at the store this summer. He tells his mom it’s to save up for the next semester, but he knows that it’s just a pathetic excuse to distract himself.

Distract himself from wallowing in self-pity because it’s been more than three weeks but he still hasn’t talked to Wonwoo, let alone seen him. It’s stupid, he knows it’s stupid—this whole running-away-from-your-problem he’s doing, but he’s convinced it’s the right thing to do, the _only_ thing he could do, if he wants to get over Wonwoo.

He’s thought about it long and hard, how his feelings are better off not seeing the light of day, how he ultimately chooses the safer route of friendship instead of the slippery slope of romance. _It’s for the best_ , he repeats for the hundredth time, hoping that saying it over and over again will somehow magically reset his feelings. Because _damn_ if it didn’t hurt just to think of it.

Somehow though, in the midst of his crisis, too preoccupied with internalizing and his self-imposed brainwashing, he managed to unintentionally shut Wonwoo out in his fear of confrontation. His friend tried to reach out to him numerous times but he only gave him excuses here and there. And before Soonyoung knew it, he’s too awkward to even start a conversation with him, afraid that he’ll slip and accidentally pour his heart out.

 _How pathetic_ , he thinks bitterly. Now he’s not even sure if Wonwoo even wants to _be friends_.

So he tries to divert his attention elsewhere, hoping that keeping himself busy will gradually erase these goddamn feelings.

It’s another boring afternoon at the store, with a few customers occasionally coming in and out. Soonyoung is behind the counter today and is idly counting bills, the gentle hum of the freezers his only music, when the glass door slides open.

“Uncle Soonie!”

He almost loses his balance upon hearing that voice and his eyes widen upon seeing Yejun coming in. What makes his jaw drop (literally) though is the sight of a familiar figure. Beside the four-year old, holding his little hand, is the girl he saw with Wonwoo at the café, smiling at him.

“Mommy, this is Uncle Soonie,” Yejun tugs at her hand gesturing to Soonyoung. “Uncle Soonie, meet Mommy.”

“M-Mommy?” Soonyoung lamely stutters.

“Oh you must be Soonyoung!” she grabs his hands and shakes them vigorously, completely unaware of Soonyoung’s internal confusion. “I heard a lot about you from my brother, and Yejun has not stopped talking about you, too.”

When Soonyoung doesn’t answer, completely dumbstruck at the moment, she plows on. “I’m Seulgi by the way. I wanted to meet you sooner to thank you for taking care of my Yejun and my baby brother,” she chuckles. “I even ambushed him at your meet up place one time in the hopes of finally getting to meet you.”

“I, uh—really, uh—no need to thank me,” Soonyoung finally manages after seconds of awkward silence. He learns that Seulgi is a journalist and is currently working on an article that requires a lot of field work, the reason why she’s mostly away.

“Uhm, your brother, how is he?” Soonyoung asks because he can’t help but be curious.

“Wonwoo? He’s fine,” she gives him a puzzled look like it’s ridiculous he’s even asking. “Although recently I think he’s in a really sour mood. Maybe because he’s stressed from processing his transfer.”

Soonyoung wishes that’s all there is to it, although Seulgi’s knowing smile seems to indicate otherwise. After fussing over the mother-son duo, even treating them to ice cream, Soonyoung is left alone at the store, his head threatening to explode from all that he’s learned in that short time span. He alternates from laughing like a madman to almost tearing his hair out.

_Oh my fucking god, she’s his sister not his girlfriend._

_Shit I am so, so stupid._

and, _You really fucked this up, Kwon Soonyoung._

Jihoon was right, he is stupid—for assuming things without properly asking, for letting his feelings get the better of him, for selfishly trying to protect himself from hurting that he disregarded the one person who gave him happiness. He misses Wonwoo, he badly misses him, and he wishes he could turn back time and undo the damage he’d done.

He dials Wonwoo’s number, hoping that he could salvage what’s left of their friendship? Relationship? Soonyoung doesn’t even know what to call them but he hopes anyway. After ten missed calls, he starts to feel frantic as he makes his way home after his shift. _Karmic retribution_ , he thinks and it should be funny if it weren’t so sad.

 _I knew it, he doesn’t want to talk anymore_ , he pathetically slumps on the floor of his apartment, letting dread and regret swallow him whole.

After wallowing in his own pity party for what felt like an hour, he decides that maybe he’ll try again tomorrow, when his mind is a lot clearer (hopefully). But then a shrill, ringing sound makes him jump out of his own skin, and all the butterflies in his stomach seem to flutter wildly at the noise.

_Fuck, he’s calling? Right now?_

He stares at the ringing telephone with wide eyes and now that the situation calls for it, he thinks that he is most definitely _not ready_ to talk with him. Since when did he become such a coward?

_Shit! He’s mad. He’s definitely mad. I’d be mad at me, too,_ he panics as he paces back and forth across the living room.

He looks at the telephone and thinks of Seulgi, thinks of Wonwoo, and how foolishly he acted, and Soonyoung decides that the least he could do is apologize to him. The ringing doesn’t stop. In fact, it only seems to get louder, persistent, just like the person on the other line.

With a sigh, he reaches out for the phone handle. _It’s now or never_. He picks it up and places it close to his ear, and for a moment he thinks it’s not the static he hears from the line but his own heart that’s thrumming loudly against his chest.

A pause. Before he finally breathes, “Hello?”

“Sweetheart! How have you been?”

All the high tension Soonyoung’s been feeling seems to pour out of him, “Mom! Please, I—I’m fine,” he sighs frustratingly, “I’m fine Mom.”

“Hmm, you don’t sound fine to me, honey. Is there something wrong?” The worry in his mom’s voice makes him feel guilty, but hearing it does ease his heart a little.

“It’s just—I did something really stupid, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Well, did you fail a subject?”

“No.”

“Got someone pregnant?”

“Wha—no! Mom!” he sputters.

“Then do something about it, sweetheart,” she says not unkindly. “If it’s _really important_ , then trying to fix it would always be the right choice no matter the consequences,” she adds, and that’s all it takes to cheer Soonyoung up. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

He inhales deeply and finally smiles to himself, “Yeah, mom. It is important.” _He’s important_. “I’ll do just that, thanks.”

“No problem, sweetheart. Now promise me you’d come home this weekend? He doesn’t say it but your dad misses you.”

He chuckles at that, “Sure, mom. Tell dad I said hi?” and he ends the call then, feeling a lot lighter than earlier. He wastes no time dialing Wonwoo’s number, a surge of courage fueling him, because he has to do this now, or he might chicken out again later.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings before the call finally connects, “Hello.”

And Soonyoung wills everything in his being not to break down upon hearing that voice. He’s missed him so bad.

“Soonyoung? Is that you?”

“Uh—hi! H-how’d you know it was me?” _Damn this feels awkward._

“Well if your ten missed calls isn’t any indication I don’t know what is. I was sleeping by the way, totally not ignoring you unlike _someone_.” The bite in Wonwoo’s tone makes Soonyoung flinch, but he can’t back out now.

“About that, can I talk to you? In person?” He hopes his sincerity somehow bleeds through to the other line.

“Oh so _now_ you want to talk?”

“Please,” he begs because there isn’t anything more he could say. Wonwoo doesn’t answer for a while, like he’s trying to pick apart what’s going on in Soonyoung’s mind, though he gives in eventually.

“Fine. Where to?”

The sky is already tinted with warm oranges and pinks, a sign that the day is coming to a close, when Soonyoung spots Wonwoo from where he is perched on the playground bench. Frankly speaking, he still doesn’t know how to explain things, but he’s here and Wonwoo’s here, too, and he swallows the lump in his throat. They stare at each other silently. Wonwoo has a steely face on and it’s putting Soonyoung on edge, but the former takes a seat beside him anyway.

Soonyoung breaks the silence between them, well not literally, by wordlessly, innocently dangling a packet of m&m’s in front of his friend’s face, hoping he gets the message. In return, Wonwoo gives him an incredulous look, “What? You want to play _now_ of all times?”

He nods, still holding up the chocolate candy between them stubbornly. In his mind, he has this scenario all planned out, if only his friend would cooperate. The other just sighs and grabs the packet from him.

“Fine! What color?”

“Uhm—blue?”

“Then I choose red.” And Soonyoung thinks that the whole universe must be conspiring against him because a red candy pops out as if to mock him. At that, Wonwoo shifts so he’s facing Soonyoung fully, and looks at him dead on the eyes.

“Explain.”

Soonyoung gulps, “That’s not even a question.”

“Soonyoung!”

“Alright, alright! I—I don’t, I can’t really explain what I’ve done. It’s just that I’ve been a total idiot this whole time, and it’s completely my fault, and I’m so, _so sorry_ , Wonwoo. I’m sorry for ignoring you, I just—” he panics when he feels tears sting his eyes. Crying pathetically was never part of his grand scheme, but he never was a stickler to plans. “I’m an idiot, I’m sorry.”

He expected Wonwoo to yell at him, to lash out at him for such a poorly conveyed apology, but instead sturdy arms pull him in for an embrace. The air is knocked out of him, along with his reason as he desperately tries to grasp his current situation. But his body moves on its own, and he hugs Wonwoo back, clinging onto him as if he’s his only lifeline. They remain that way for a while, Wonwoo soothingly rubbing circles on Soonyoung’s back, and Soonyoung breathing in his scent, the two holding each other tightly.

“I still don’t understand why you suddenly gave me the cold treatment,” Wonwoo begins, “but I forgive you.” It’s barely above a whisper but his words echo loudly inside of Soonyoung. “I thought you hated me, you know,” he adds, his tone is gentle but the underlying hurt is clear as day. “I thought I did something wrong and you didn’t want to do anything with me anymore.”

Soonyoung buries his face on the crook of Wonwoo’s neck and shakes his head fervently, his voice coming out muffled, “That’s not true. That will _never_ happen…” He looks at Wonwoo then and sees his own reflection in his eyes. And honestly he must look ugly right now— puffy strained eyes, red snotty nose—but inside Wonwoo’s eyes, he sees nothing but endearment reflected back at him, and it’s all too much to take in. Flustered, he grabs the candy packet from Wonwoo’s grip, intent on continuing his plan. “Pick a color,” he mumbles.

Wonwoo wordlessly follows as they continue their little game, and Lady Luck finally smiles upon Soonyoung as he gets a color right.

_Shit. Alright, here goes nothing._

He breathes in deep to steel his resolve, closes his eyes shut as he blurts out, “W-Will you go out on a date with me?”

Cautiously, he cracks an eye open just to see Wonwoo staring at him with wide eyes. “W-What?” the other boy stammers.

Soonyoung thinks he finally screwed everything up, that he ultimately sunk his own battleship, but curls his fists and decides to continue. He’s prepared to drown anyway. “I said, will you go out on a date with me? And not those study dates, but a real one.”

An awkward silence stretches between them, but they hold each other’s gaze. Until Wonwoo finally cracks, his face breaking into a huge grin, his eyes shaping into lovely crescents, “Hmm, you didn’t answer my question earlier though, so it’s only fair I get another chance.”

_Oh shit._

He crowds into Soonyoung’s personal space again, causing the latter to visibly flush. “Kwon Soonyoung,” he continues, “do you _like_ me?”

Soonyoung makes a distressed noise as he tries to cover his embarrassment and his very apparent blush by hiding his face behind his hands. Who knew his friend enjoyed watching him suffer?

“No! I hate you! I _fucking_ hate you, Jeon Wonwoo!”

The other just laughs at his misery and tries to pry his hands away. “Stop hiding from me! Haven’t you done that enough already?”

When Wonwoo finally succeeds, he beams at Soonyoung, still clutching his hands tightly. “Well I like you, too,” he firmly says, “and I would love to go on a not-study-date with you.”

“I didn’t say I like you though.”

The other just huffs, “Doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to win your heart then.”

It’s ridiculous, Soonyoung thinks, how he completely feels like dying at the moment while simultaneously floating on cloud nine. It’s the best feeling right now. And it’s all because of one guy.

“Ugh, just kiss me already.” Soonyoung demands, because he thinks he deserves this little happiness after all the stress he’s been through, and Wonwoo gladly indulges him.

Behind them, the sun sets regally and twilight pours through the skyline. They share a kiss together, a first among many others, and Soonyoung thinks that he’s in his most favorite place on earth—right in Wonwoo’s embrace.

“So…you still won’t tell me why you’ve been an idiot this whole time?” Wonwoo breaks their intimate moment.

In response, Soonyoung just grunts and attempts to wrestle his way out of Wonwoo’s noodle arms. He’ll tell him eventually.

_Prologue_

_(Winter break)_

_“I’m on my way, Noona,” Wonwoo says through the phone as he scans a row full of sweets. “Just dropped by the store to buy that pudding Yejun likes so much. Yeah I’ll see you.” After completing his purchase, he fixes his coat to attempt to protect himself from winter’s chill as he makes his way outside._

_“I told you Jihoon-ah, you have to_ fucking smile _if we’re gonna get at least half of these flyers out of our hands by sundown.” He curiously looks at two boys, who seem to be about his age, bickering in front of the store and slightly blocking his way._

_“First of all—this is my smiling face. Second—you do not pay me to do this bullshit so stop complaining!” the shorter one of the two hisses, “And where the hell is Wen Junhui? I can’t believe he left me with this idiot.”_

_“Hey! Watch your—” the other boy stops, and Wonwoo was so busy eavesdropping on their conversation that he didn’t notice that said boy is already looking at him._

_“You! Yeah, you. The one with the glasses.” the boy approaches him with a cheeky grin. Up close Wonwoo thinks he looks a bit like a hyperactive hamster. “Would you be interested in getting math tutoring? Or do you know anyone who needs it? Extremely cheap but totally top class, I assure you.”_

_“I don’t really—” before Wonwoo could say another word, the guy unceremoniously shoves a piece of paper into his hand. “Just dial those numbers, first session is free,” hamster boy even throws him a wink._

_“Soonyoung, Junhui said to meet up at the bubble tea shop.”_

_“Alright, coming,” and the two disappear from Wonwoo’s sight. He looks at the crumpled paper in his hand and can’t help but be slightly amused at the ridiculously constructed ad._

Kwon Soonyoung Math Genius Tutorial Session

Spend your winter break where it _counts_ ;)

CP: 010-XXXX-XXXX

Tel: 02-XXX-XXXX

_Wonwoo smiles despite himself,_ Kwon Soonyoung? What a strange guy.

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: irl, my mom was the one who received prank calls a few months back, which eventually became my inspiration for this fic ^^
> 
> again, thank you for reading! i'm at [twt](https://twitter.com/celestialsoon) if you want to yell at me. 
> 
> oh and happy post-birthday to the best boys! this is all for you :)))


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